STRICT lunch rules at an Oxfordshire secondary school proved controversial among Oxford Mail readers.

Yesterday we reported a parent’s concerns about food and drink policy at Aureus School in Didcot.

Pupils at the new academy are not allowed to bring in packed lunches and must instead get food from the canteen.

Meat served at the school is Halal-only and the only drink pupils are allowed on site is water.

The packed lunch ban is in line with recommendations from a Government-backed report published in 2013, but one parent said it was ‘draconian’.

The story prompted 75 comments and counting on our website, many about the Halal meat policy.

One person wrote: “Eating Halal is a religious choice it should not be forced upon non Muslims.”

Another reader added: “Monoculture is not diversity.”

One man stated: “Parents and children should be given choice and not have this forced upon them.”

We asked our readers to vote on whether or not they agreed with the school’s policies.

Between 8.30am and 4pm there were 564 votes cast, 75 per cent of which disagreed and said it was not a school’s place to police what children eat.

Someone else commented: “Nothing wrong with Halal but I object to them stopping a packed lunch with the proviso as long as it is healthy.”

Another reader added: “I’m starting to think that schools now are less about educating children and more about preparing them to live in a politically correct police state.”

Others questioned why parents could not be given a list of allowed food for packed lunches, and noted other schools ‘enforce healthy packed lunches without difficulty’.

The school stressed the policies were to encourage children to be healthy and sociable and to promote inclusivity.